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Merced River at Stevinson

Highest listed crest 71.44 ftFlood stage 71.0 ft32 crests since 1965

The Merced River at Stevinson crested above flood stage 1 time among the 32 crests the National Weather Service lists from 1965 to 2023. The highest, 71.44 ft on March 21, 2023, was minor flooding, 0.44 feet above flood stage.

The gauge

Highest listed crest
71.44 ft
March 21, 2023; 6,007 cubic feet per second
Flood stage
71.0 ft
Major flooding from 75.0 ft
Crests at major
0
1 above flood stage
Most recent flood crest
March 21, 2023
71.44 ft, minor flooding
Location
Merced County
Near Newman (6.3 mi), Turlock (10.1 mi), Livingston (11.3 mi)

Flood stages

The thresholds the National Weather Service uses for this gauge today, and how many listed crests reached each.

Flood categories, Merced River at Stevinson
Action stage68.09Mar 21, 2011The level at which the NWS or its partners begin to take action
Flood stage (minor)71.01Mar 21, 2023Minimal or no property damage, but possibly some public threat
Moderate flood stage73.80—Some inundation of structures and roads near the stream
Major flood stage75.00—Extensive inundation of structures and roads

Every listed crest

32 crests from 1965 to 2023. Filled: at or above flood stage. Hover a crest for its date and stage.

Listed crests at the Merced River at Stevinson, 1965 to 2023 5560657075ft Flood stage 71.0 ftMajor 75.0 ft Dec 4, 1965: 67.70 ft, below flood stage; 4,780 cubic feet per secondJul 4, 1967: 69.40 ft, action stage; 6,510 cubic feet per secondFeb 10, 1968: 61.40 ft, below flood stage; 1,360 cubic feet per secondJan 25, 1969: 70.00 ft, action stage; 7,190 cubic feet per secondDec 22, 1970: 61.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,280 cubic feet per secondSep 22, 1972: 61.50 ft, below flood stage; 1,380 cubic feet per secondFeb 12, 1973: 67.30 ft, below flood stage; 4,510 cubic feet per secondJun 11, 1974: 65.40 ft, below flood stage; 3,340 cubic feet per secondJun 17, 1975: 66.80 ft, below flood stage; 4,210 cubic feet per secondOct 16, 1975: 61.60 ft, below flood stage; 1,430 cubic feet per secondOct 1, 1976: 57.10 ft, below flood stage; 222 cubic feet per secondApr 29, 1978: 64.50 ft, below flood stage; 2,580 cubic feet per secondMar 2, 1979: 66.60 ft, below flood stage; 4,080 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1980: 68.70 ft, action stage; 5,660 cubic feet per secondOct 14, 1981: 61.20 ft, below flood stage; 1,290 cubic feet per secondApr 18, 1982: 68.50 ft, action stage; 5,500 cubic feet per secondJan 27, 1983: 68.20 ft, action stage; 5,160 cubic feet per secondJan 1, 1984: 67.20 ft, below flood stage; 4,400 cubic feet per secondMar 14, 1984: 70.10 ft, action stage; 7,420 cubic feet per secondJan 5, 1985: 61.40 ft, below flood stage; 1,370 cubic feet per secondMar 15, 1986: 67.65 ft, below flood stage; 4,750 cubic feet per secondMar 7, 1987: 61.00 ft, below flood stage; 1,180 cubic feet per secondNov 19, 1988: 57.90 ft, below flood stage; 382 cubic feet per secondMar 4, 1989: 59.10 ft, below flood stage; 629 cubic feet per secondFeb 19, 1990: 58.10 ft, below flood stage; 434 cubic feet per secondFeb 16, 1993: 60.71 ft, below flood stage; 840 cubic feet per secondFeb 8, 1998: 70.20 ft, action stageMar 6, 2000: 67.35 ft, below flood stageApr 16, 2006: 69.07 ft, action stage; 5,600 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2011: 70.51 ft, action stage; 6,400 cubic feet per secondJan 17, 2023: 67.37 ft, below flood stage; 3,362 cubic feet per secondMar 21, 2023: 71.44 ft, minor flooding; 6,007 cubic feet per second Highest, 71.44 ft, Mar 21, 2023 197019801990200020102020

Crests at or above flood stage, by decade

Crests at or above flood stage per decade, Merced River at Stevinson 1960s: 0 1970s: 0 1980s: 0 1990s: 0 2000s: 0 2010s: 0 2020s: 1 1 1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
  1. These are the crests the local National Weather Service office lists for the gauge: the highest on record and recent crests. Lesser floods between them may be missing, so counts by decade are a floor.
  2. Categories use today's flood stages. Levees, dams and channel changes since a crest can make old and new stages not directly comparable.
  3. 1 crest measured on an earlier gauge datum is left out: 73.81 ft on Dec 5, 1950.

Highest crests

Highest listed crests, Merced River at Stevinson
1Mar 21, 202371.44+0.44Minor6,007
2Mar 21, 201170.51−0.49Action6,400
3Feb 8, 199870.20−0.80Action—
4Mar 14, 198470.10−0.90Action7,420
5Jan 25, 196970.00−1.00Action7,190
6Jul 4, 196769.40−1.60Action6,510
7Apr 16, 200669.07−1.93Action5,600
8Mar 7, 198068.70−2.30Action5,660
9Apr 18, 198268.50−2.50Action5,500
10Jan 27, 198368.20−2.80Action5,160
11Dec 4, 196567.70−3.30Below flood stage4,780
12Mar 15, 198667.65−3.35Below flood stage4,750
13Jan 17, 202367.37−3.63Below flood stage3,362
14Mar 6, 200067.35−3.65Below flood stage—
15Feb 12, 197367.30−3.70Below flood stage4,510
16Jan 1, 198467.20−3.80Below flood stage4,400
17Jun 17, 197566.80−4.20Below flood stage4,210
18Mar 2, 197966.60−4.40Below flood stage4,080
19Jun 11, 197465.40−5.60Below flood stage3,340
20Apr 29, 197864.50−6.50Below flood stage2,580
21Oct 16, 197561.60−9.40Below flood stage1,430
22Sep 22, 197261.50−9.50Below flood stage1,380
23Feb 10, 196861.40−9.60Below flood stage1,360
24Jan 5, 198561.40−9.60Below flood stage1,370
25Dec 22, 197061.20−9.80Below flood stage1,280
26Oct 14, 198161.20−9.80Below flood stage1,290
27Mar 7, 198761.00−10.00Below flood stage1,180
28Feb 16, 199360.71−10.29Below flood stage840
29Mar 4, 198959.10−11.90Below flood stage629
30Feb 19, 199058.10−12.90Below flood stage434
31Nov 19, 198857.90−13.10Below flood stage382
32Oct 1, 197657.10−13.90Below flood stage222

Gauges on the Merced River

In USGS station-number order, which runs downstream within a river basin.

Flood gauges on the Merced River
Happy IslesCA7.513.27 ft, Jan 2, 19971
Pohono BridgeCA10.023.43 ft, Jan 3, 19974
Stevinson this gaugeCA71.071.44 ft, Mar 21, 20230

Other gauges in Merced County

Flood gauges in Merced County
McKee Road23.026.18 ft, Jan 10, 20231

Merced County: every hazard · River floods across the country · California

NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge STVC1, retrieved October 30, 2026. Stages in feet on the gauge's own datum, not elevation. Crests are as the National Weather Service lists them; preliminary values may be revised.